I’ve been asked to contribute in the development of a Postgraduate Diploma for advertising people. 
The academics involved are interested in my opinion on the skills gaps that students encounter when they get their first job as a creative person.
Thing is, I don’t think a skills gap is the greatest problem that graduates face. I think the biggest problem for kids today is one of unrealistic expectations.
So to help you overcome this, I have compiled a list of the 3 things you should expect to encounter when pursuing a career as a junior creative.

• As a junior you should expect to struggle to get a job.
• You should expect to get paid a shitty salary.
• You should expect to get very few opportunities to showcase your talent.

After you come to terms with these expectations, only then can you can you work to overcome them. Because, as I have said many times before, a piece of paper from a university is just that – a piece of paper.
It is not a guarantee of big bucks and superstardom. Only passion, persistence and drive can help you achieve that.

See Stan our resident WHIP cracker in person at the next JUNIOR EVENT – Wednesday August 12. He won’t be talking about how to get a job, but how to still have one 10 years from now. It’s going to be rad.

We’re big fans of the saying, ‘Don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education’. It implies that an ‘education’ has nothing to do with fees, debts, buildings or tutors. No sir, those things can be a drag. What it does have everything to do with is you. Stan is a man without a degree, but we’d argue he’s far more educated than his university-educated colleagues. Think about it.

Unlike most of the people who stop by the Junior website, I don’t have a university degree.
And no, I didn’t drop out because I got bored or thought that I knew it all. I simply didn’t go to university.
Yet for most of my adult life I have been able to hold my own in discussions and debate about music, film, art and of course advertising.
I have I been able to do this because I am creative with an innate thirst for knowledge.
You too need to have or develop that thirst.
Whether you want to work in advertising, have a career as a graphic designer or want to become a Hollywood scriptwriter, you need to consume a lot of history.
When I say history I don’t mean Captain Cook, Queen Victoria or Marco Polo. I mean popular culture of the 20th century.
Last week I watched a fantastic documentary where Steven Spielberg talked about his body of work. What was interesting was how he acknowledged the influence on his work of great filmmakers from the 40’s and 50’s.
The Elvis Costello talk show currently airing on ABC2 is very similar, in that Elvis’ encyclopaedic knowledge of music and culture informs every question he asks. As a result his guests open up and share their love for music that influenced them.
Even the likes of Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst can speak at length about artists that have informed and influenced their work. Yet their work is uniquely their own.
So rather than thinking that your degree is the end of your education. Think of it as the beginning. Because the day you stop asking, enquiring and learning is the day you stop being creative.